BeeCrofter wrote:
> >         How successfull is taking a hive full of swarm cells and dividing it into 3
> or 4 nucs depending on the brood and number of cells available?
>     My understanding is that swarm cell queens are pretty well raised and
> fairly strong.
 
        Success should be good with regard to queen and nuc quality but this
may be an expensive method. Even if the situation arises unplanned, I
think you would be better off removing just four frames with queen
cells. Add three frames to each from other colonies. Now you have your
four nucs, the swarming colony should still be strong enough to be
productive, and swarming is stemmed. This may not be the best advice for
your area or if the main flow is close or soon.